The Plane Truth

This week Captain Al answers questions all about loading and balancing of an aircraft. How centre of gravity is calculated and what considerations need to be taken when carrying unusual cargo.

Each country has its own way of measuring all sorts of things. So what happens in aviation with pilots and planes flying all over the world? Do pilots use meters or feet? Kilograms or pounds? Celsius or Fahrenheit?  What is a knot when we're talking about speeds and why are nautical miles used?

I'm sure many would agree that parking a car is never a favourite part of driving for me. What's it like steering and parking a plane? They can be giant machines and while they're beautiful in the skies, what are they like on the ground? What do pilots need to be aware of when taxiing the aircraft and what happens if you need to do a u-turn?

Winter is well and truly upon us and we all know of the chaos it can bring to airports. Today we discuss how airplanes stop on contaminated runways. Come rain, snow, ice, what does it take to keep our airlines landing and taking off. We talk breaking action, ABS (anti-lock breaking system) on commercial jets and how pilots plan for this on the line.

There are enormous amounts of acronyms, abbreviations, technical terms and such in aviation. Is there a common language in aviation? How do all air traffic controllers and pilots talk to each other with so many languages all over the world? And what about the language of time and time zones?

It's no surprise that our pilots that bring us safely to our destinations all around the world need solid training and many licenses before they carry passengers. So how does pilots licensing work? Can one license cover everything? What is a type rating and why is important in aviation?

It's depressurization and decompression that we're talking about today. What happens in a rapid decompression? How about a slow decompression? What danger does hypoxia cause in the cockpit. And what happens if there's a hole in the aircraft?

What happens if a plane loses and engine? What do pilots need to consider when an engine failure occurs? Is a stricken plane doomed to crash or can it fly with one engine?

What happens if a plane loses and engine? What do pilots need to consider when an engine failure occurs? Is a stricken plane doomed to crash or can it fly with one engine?

Pilots & Cabin Crew work long hours to get us where we need to be. But how long can pilots work for? Are there time limits and what happens on ultra long haul flights? Can crew sleep on the flight deck? Where do cabin crew sleep on the plane?